KISSIMMEE – The word rolled off Roger Clemens’ lips much better than the pitch flowed from his hand.

“I threw my changeup a little too hard,” Clemens said after a two-inning stint at Osceola County Stadium where the Astros took a 4-2 win.

Changeup! How many times has Clemens told us he will ride off into the sunset a power pitcher? Yet there he was trying to trick the Astros with several circle changeups.

So, was the Hall of Fame lock whose two best pitches are fastball and splitter messing with hitters’ heads? Was he giving them something else to think about?

“I don’t care if they think about it or not,” said Clemens, who added that he threw a few changes last year. “A lot of people believe my out pitch is the splitter and it’s not. The fastball is still my out pitch. It all depends on what’s working. Today I may have bit off too much, breaking out my curveball and changeup.”

Clemens gave up a two-run homer to Jeff Bagwell in the first on a change. In two innings Clemens gave up two runs and three hits.

“It was too hard,” Clemens said of the gopher ball. “This early in the spring the hitters are a little slow, so that was good hitting speed.”

Clemens will be 41 in August and is talking as if this is his last season. That meant that yesterday was the final time he will make a first appearance in spring training.

“I know I can compete and it’s a great feeling that Joe [Torre] knows I can lead the best team in the country,” said Clemens, who is seven wins shy of 300.

Torre didn’t put much stock in Clemens giving up a two-run dinger.

“He was fine. He was working on stuff like all pitchers are,” Torre said. “Established pitchers aren’t trying to make the team. As long as he comes out of it fine.”